“Ultima Suprema Deluxa” by Kenny Scharf
Monday August 8th saw the closing of the Art in the Streets exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Downtown Los Angeles, California. With the end of the historic installation looming, we made the trek up from our offices deep in Orange County with 45 minutes to spare before the 5 p.m. closure.
Art in the Streets made history as the first graffiti and street art exhibit held in a major U.S. museum. Fab 5 Freddy, Futura, Shepard Fairey, Mister Cartoon, Estevan Oriol, Keith Haring, Spike Jonze, Terry Richardson and the notorious Banksy were amongst the 50 artists who had installations at MOCA. If the names mentioned sound unfamiliar, Google them. These urban geniuses are the pointed edge of culture, creating thought-provoking and visually entertaining pieces that engage the viewer in both social and political dialogue. From a tagged freeway sign taken off of the Interstate 10 highway, a mock urban setting replete with storefronts and neon signs, toy trains decked out in paint, gritty photographs, and a working skate park, to looping documentary footage and sprawling graffiti pieces, Art in the Streets literally brought the streets straight into a highbrow institution without sacrificing a gram of street cred. It was the coolest (i.e., sickest) exhibit we’ve ever been to.
As to be expected in a showcase influenced by the street, there were several interesting vehicles on display. You’re probably familiar with the kooky, playful art cars that roll through family festivals and parades, but the vehicles you’re about to see are a far cry from the usual art-inspired fare.
While the curtains have closed on the West Coast, for those in the east, there will be another opportunity to cop this groundbreaking explosion of street culture. The exhibition will re-open at the Brooklyn Museum in New York from March 30-July 8, 2012.
“Untitled” Installation by Banksy
“Untitled” Installation by Banksy. An internationally acclaimed graffiti artist, political activist, film director and painter based in England, Banksy is best known for his politically charged and visually striking stencils. With an Oscar nod for Exit Through the Gift Shop, Banksy is also known for making a statement with his physical prop pieces, such as this pair of cocktail-sipping golfers cruising the green in a golf cart wearing biohazard suits and gas masks. Not really a car per se, but a four-wheeled transportation device nonetheless.
“Untitled” by RISK
“Untitled” by RISK. A Los Angeles-based graffiti artist and fashion entrepreneur, RISK was one of the first artists to paint freight trains, subway cars and freeway overpasses. He is also known for his work in various art shows, a graffiti-inspired clothing line, and many Hollywood movies and music videos. Returning to his roots, he painted this city bus for the MOCA exhibit.
“Ultima Suprema Deluxa” by Kenny Scharf
“Ultima Suprema Deluxa” by Kenny Scharf. An American painter and installation artist based in New York, Kenny Scharf’s work reflects his love for underground comics, cartoons, thrift stores, and of course, graffiti. Utilizing spray paint, the street art medium of choice, and urethane enamel, Kenny Scharf bedecked and bedazzled this 1961 Cadillac with a myriad of bright colors and unexpected knick-knacks.
“Untitled” by Keith Haring
“Untitled” by Keith Haring. One of the most iconic American street and pop artists, Keith Haring first gained notoriety for his chalk drawings in the subways of New York. His distinctive work is instantly recognizable for its bold lines and moving figures and has continued to appear on CD booklets, posters, jewelry, and apparel throughout the decades. This 1963 Buick Special is painted in classic Haring style, with bold strokes of blue and orange enamel.
“Midnight Express” by Mister Cartoon
Mister Cartoon is a Mexican American tattoo artist and graffiti artist based in Los Angeles, California. Out of the exhibitors at MOCA, Cartoon held the title for the most installations on wheels, including the “Midnight Express”, a sleekly modified and airbrushed 1939 Master Deluxe.
“Street” by Todd James, Barry McGee, Stephen Powers, Devin Flynn, Josh Lazcano, Dan Murphy, and Alexis Ross
“Street” by Todd James, Barry McGee, Stephen Powers, Devin Flynn, Josh Lazcano, Dan Murphy, and Alexis Ross. The graffiti artists writing on the side of this building are actually robotic mannequins mounted on top of a van filled with running televisions! Just one of many impressively executed installations in “Street,” a three-dimensional indoor setting featuring mock buildings, fences and narrow streets for museum-goers to walk through.
“Untitled” by Banksy
“Untitled” by Banksy. Another example of the satirical dark humor that defines Banksy, this installation shows Yogi Bear being flattened by a steamroller, complete with red spray paint blood splatter across the asphalt. This piece is a lighter twist on a previous steamroller piece of Banksy’s, seen in London, which depicted a traffic warden being flattened.
“Posters” by Craig R. Stecyk III
“Posters” by Craig R. Stecyk III. A Southern California native, Stecyk has been printing and surreptitiously placing his brightly-colored posters on telephone poles and other urban and rural places since 1967. Naturally, the poster that immediately drew our attention was the bold silhouette of a steel-belted radial tire.
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